


i needed you to stay

by dryadfiona



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27834505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dryadfiona/pseuds/dryadfiona
Summary: Mazikeen bartends at Lux, LA's preeminent nightclub. Chloe runs Miracle, a bar just down the street, newer and catering to a pretty different clientele. Despite this, Maze decides they're in a competition for customers. Chloe deals with it.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Mazikeen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	i needed you to stay

"Decker," someone calls across the room, drowning out the conversations and the music Chloe had spent ages choosing.

Chloe closes her eyes and wills herself to remain professional before turning and heading over. "Maze! Good to see you."

Maze smiles in a way that somehow manages to suggest violence. Chloe would be impressed if it wasn't the hundredth time she's seen it. "Small crowd tonight."

"We're a bar, not a nightclub," Chloe says, barely managing to hold back a roll of her eyes. "I'm not trying to pack the place. I'm trying to have a nice atmosphere, sell some food, maybe have a trivia night or two."

Maze lifts up an eyebrow. "Well, that sounds boring."

"To you," Chloe says. "Why are you here?"

"Just checking out the competition," Maze says, twirling a knife around in her hands.

"You have to stop sneaking things past my bouncer," Chloe says with a resigned sigh. 

"I'm helping train him," Maze says with a grin, not putting the knife away. One of the groups at a table nearby looks at her with a nervous expression.

"Besides, we're not competing. You're trying to get the party crowd. People here are just trying to have a quiet night," Chloe tries. She's not expecting this to work. It hasn't any of the other times she's tried to get the bartender to stop competing over needless bullshit. She's not even sure she understands why the other woman cares. Chloe owns Miracle, sure, but Maze doesn't, to the best of her knowledge, own Lux. Lux is owned by Lucifer Morningstar, who didn't seem at all interested in competition, only seeming to care about getting in her pants. He'd left when she turned him down anyway, though he'd looked a little perplexed. 

"You're cutting into my tips," Maze says, but she's still grinning.

"Okay, and the outfit you're wearing looks like it cost--way too much, I'm sure you're doing fine," Chloe says with a roll of her eyes. "Do you mind? I'm actually trying to get some work done tonight."

Maze looks at the tables around them with this smug little expression that Chloe absolutely _hates_ and says, "Really? Couldn't tell from the tables."

Which is ridiculous; just because Lux pulls absolutely unheard of numbers doesn't mean that Chloe isn't holding her own. She bristles, a little, but reminds herself--stay professional. "Well, all the more reason I should get back to work. Do you need me to see you out?"

Maze frowns at her, but turns to go. Chloe follows, anticipating some last-minute chaos. There usually is, with Maze. "What does it take to rile you up?"

"More than this," Chloe says with a roll of her eyes. "Have a good night."

This, in hindsight, was her first real mistake.

* * *

"Mazikeen," Chloe says. "What in God's name are you wearing?"

"Nothing to do with God's name," Maze says brightly. Everyone turns to look at her, and Chloe can't really blame them, even if she's keeping her eyes resolutely on the bartender's face. Her makeup's lighter than it usually is, only eyeliner and a bright eyeshadow. The real point isn't that, though--it's the swimsuit.

"No shirt, no service," Chloe says, trying to push her back out the door. The bouncer had let her in, though Chloe suspects he'd probably seen a hot girl in a swimsuit with confidence and assumed there was some event going on he'd forgotten about, or else was too busy leering to try and stop her. Chloe'd been on edge after a week without seeing Maze at all, and noticed her before she'd made it to the bar to do whatever it was she had planned. Not that it matters; she isn't able to budge the bartender at all. 

"What, you don't like it?" Maze's exaggerated pout doesn't fit her face at all; Chloe's used to her smirking and scowling and flirting. "I thought maybe this would make you more comfortable."

"Why would you _ever_ think--" Chloe stops, all at once, and Maze starts walking forward as if Chloe hadn't been trying to drag her out with all her considerable strength. "You--"

"Lucifer had the movie," Maze says with a grin that fits her much better. "I _thought_ it looked like you on the cover, but it wasn't until I saw your name on the credits that I realized it _was_." She looks at Chloe, an entirely unconcealed once-over, and Chloe feels her cheeks warm. "You've kept it up since then, haven't you?"

Chloe resists the urge to cross her arms over her chest. "Thanks. Can you _leave_ now?"

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Maze asks, reaching the bar. "Can I get a vodka?"

"Yes," Chloe says.

"I wasn't asking you," Maze says, immediately affronted.

" _Yes_ , you're making me uncomfortable," Chloe says. Maze's smile drops slightly. "Get out of my bar."

Maze doesn't say anything for a second, but her smile drops further. The bartender slides her her drink, mouth gaping slightly at her outfit, and Chloe glares at him, too, for good measure. Maze takes the shot and downs it.

And then, to Chloe's surprise, she starts to leave. She doesn't follow her out, but watches her go, notices the way that she glances back before hurrying out.

"Do you think she was cold?" she asks the bartender.

"Hm?" he says.

"Never mind," Chloe mutters. "How are tips tonight?"

* * *

Later that night, Chloe's helping close because she's never wanted to be the kind of boss that leaves the work for everyone else. She isn't even all that interested in the _boss_ aspect of things--she's more focused on making sure the restaurant runs as smoothly as possible. Making sure the kitchen's head chef can keep things moving without verbally abusing half the staff, ensuring her servers aren't getting harassed by any of their patrons, figuring out the best music to play at each time of night.

Her phone vibrates in her jacket, and she scrambles to answer it, despite the hour. It could be the bank, willing to help her out with one more loan, probably more on her mother's name than their actual faith in her business. She hopes, but when she manages to grab the one, it's a number she doesn't recognize.

"Fucking spam calls," she mutters, shoving the phone back in her pocket. After that, she focuses on mopping the floor, helping the bar staff prep, doing one last check of the cash drawer.

The drive home is a long one; she doesn't live anywhere near the busy, bustling downtown area. The schools in the area are fantastic, but massively overcrowded, and she'd give up her bar and all the money she's sunk into it for the sake of her daughter.

Her daughter who's asleep when she gets home, of course. Olga doesn't smile at her when she leaves, just nods as if the social interaction is unbearably stifling as she leaves. Chloe flops down on the couch without even kicking off her shoes, groaning in relief when she gets her feet on the armrest. She loves her little bar, but she absolutely hates being on her feet all day.

She could pass out here without much effort, especially after she unzips most of her dress to unhook her bra. But the responsibilities of her job don't end when she gets home, so after giving herself a moment to just relax, she grabs her phone again. There's the missed call from earlier, at least a dozen emails she needs to respond to ASAP, and a text from that same number.

Chloe frowns. That might actually be important--a newer staff member calling in sick, maybe?--but she needs to get to these emails _now_. She emails their grocer that yes, they do still want that many limes, and at the price they agreed upon, though she is willing to negotiate if it's been a difficult, dry season, and she emails the bank that yes, they are authorized to take another $1000 from her account to pay off her loan, and she emails a reminder to her staff that they have the day off on Wednesday, as they always do.

It's only then that she checks her texts, and it's not her new server.

_sorry_

Who is this?

_do you go around making a bunch of people apologize to you?_

_i bet you do, actually, that makes sense_

Maze?

_no shit_

How did you get this number?

Maze types super fast, and the answer is up as practically the same time as Chloe sends her text.

_i have my ways_

_anyway. sorry. i won't do that again_

Finally over this stupid competition?

_that's not what this is_

_crossed a line. didn't mean to._

Okay

I accept your apology

_great. don't mention it_

Chloe snorts. She's sure the other woman means it literally.

Why do you care so much?

_i like to WIN, if you haven't noticed_

But Lux isn't your bar.

_yes it fucking is_

No, I mean you don't own it

Your tips are fantastic, I've seen your crowds

Why do you care?

There's a long beat, and Chloe's worried she's pushed too far. She's not sure why she minds so much.

_i just do_

_seriously. don't mention it_

Chloe can't think of a response, so she doesn't, just heads upstairs to her room and collapses into bed. She dreams of a smile, sharp like a knife, brilliant in the bright lights of Lux. When she wakes up, she can still practically taste the booze on the back of her tongue.

"Well, shit," Chloe says to no one, staring over at the sunbeam on her wall.

* * *

Lux never closes, so that Wednesday, Chloe decides to scope out the competition. Or something. She's not entirely sure why she goes, honestly, why she digs her one club-appropriate dress out of her closet to spend a night that she's sure will be too loud, too crowded, too _much_ for her taste. 

But she finds herself waiting in the line anyway, ignoring the poor attempts at conversation from already-drunk frat boys looking for a party as she slowly inches forward. The line curves around at least a whole block, and it only seems to be getting longer as the night goes on.

 _This is their mid-week crowd?_ Chloe thinks, seeing how no one's left, even as what feels like an hour ticks past. If this is what Lux can pull on a Wednesday, then there's no need for whatever Maze's issues are with Miracle. Chloe could fill her bar to capacity with only people from this line and barely make a dent. 

Eventually, though, she gets close enough to the front of the line that the bouncer notices her. She doesn't expect anything other than maybe a nod, but the man immediately waves her forward. She points at herself, disbelieving, and he nods again. "Sorry," she mutters to the people in front of her as she pushes past. They all look confused, which is fair. Chloe's not unattractive or anything, but her dress isn't anything special and she's not the type of jaw-dropping gorgeous that warrants getting into a club this popular without needing to wait in line.

Still, having run down the battery on her phone after almost an hour in the line, she does wish she'd known she apparently had the ability to skip all of that _before_. 

Chloe walks in, and Lux is, in a way, just as she expected--loud, bright, a crowd of beautiful people indulging in every legal vice imaginable. There's probably a few people in corners enjoying less-than-legal intoxicants, but the place is still nice. Sure, it's definitely full past capacity and a violation of the fire code, which is profoundly annoying, after all the research she'd done into the laws surrounding bars and gatherings before opening. But the vibe of the place is nicer than she'd have imagined. 

She heads over to the bar without any real conscious thought behind it, but she's not surprised when she sees Maze there. She's never actually seen Maze bartend, though, and that's nice all on its own. Her expression of concentration is utterly unlike the looks Maze has had in Miracle, and it suits her well. She makes drinks so quickly that Chloe's half-tempted to try and steal her away from Lux. It would never work, though; every meeting the two of them have reminds Chloe of Maze's seemingly undying loyalty to Lux. To Lucifer.

Something about that makes Chloe disappointed, all of a sudden, which is stupid. She doesn't need someone who can make drinks at a club pace, she needs someone steady, reliable. That's not Maze. Can't be. 

The moment Maze spots her feels like something special. The bartender looks up, expression disinterested, but when her eyes catch on Chloe, she stops, the light catching her skin and making her look even more otherworldly than the dark eyeliner and lipstick always does. Chloe inhales sharply, and wishes she had a drink of water. 

Christ. That's embarrassing.

"Decker," Maze says once Chloe's close enough to hear. She still has to yell a little to be heard over the music, but Chloe's pretty sure she sounds surprised. She _looks_ surprised, all wide eyes and slightly open mouth. It's strangely gratifying; if this is what Chloe's looked like every time Maze has busted in on her bar, she completely gets why Maze keeps doing it. 

"Maze," Chloe says.

The problem is, of course, that Chloe hasn't planned this at all. She doesn't have something smart to say, certainly nothing professional, and everything she can think of is something that wouldn't exactly help _defuse_ the tension between them--between their bars. 

Maze tilts a brow and smirks. She recovers quickly. "Finally accepted that Lux is always gonna be better than your dingy little _Miracle?_ "

Chloe laughs at the raw disdain in her voice. "Why do you hate my club name so much?"

Maze rolls her eyes, pouring herself a drink. "Patrick, take care of the _customers,_ will you?"

A handsome man with long hair pulled back into a bun stands up from under the bar, between Maze and Chloe, and heads over to the other corner of the bar, where a group of women in bright, tight dresses have clustered.

Chloe feels warm, all of a sudden. "Was he--"

Maze hasn't blinked this whole time, eyes fixed on her, smirk still intact. "Yeah. Why, you jealous?" She leans forward, biting her bottom lip in a way that _really_ shouldn't be as enticing as it is, and says, "Is that why you came here?"

"No," Chloe says quickly. It sounds like a lie even though she knows it isn't. "I, uh--"

She drops Maze's gaze, looking over at the gaggle of girls in the corner just for something else to focus on. 

"I came for a drink," she says.

Maze blinks, expression morphing into something gentler, smirk more a smile. "Well, alright. What are you in the mood for?"

"Uh," Chloe says. 

Truth be told, she has no idea what specific drinks Lux sells, and while the impressive array of alcohol behind Maze suggests that they could reasonably offer anything, she doesn't want to insult Maze by asking for something she doesn't know how to mix.

"I'll handle it," Maze says with a roll of her eyes, but it seems fond, so Chloe doesn't call her on it.

The bar stools aren't especially comfortable, Chloe notes as she sits down; they'd never work for Miracle. Then again, Lux is trying to get people up and dancing, whereas Miracle's trying to keep them comfortable enough to keep ordering booze. It all goes back to the fact that they're not competitors, not really, and there's no point in acting like they are, so why does Maze keep pushing it?

She watches Maze mix the drink. She's got that same expression of focus, concentration, which is--really not great for _Chloe's_ focus, now that she knows that Maze had that same expression with _Patrick_ kneeling down in front of her--

Well, anyway, the point is that Chloe's losing track of whatever it is Maze is pouring into the glass, just sees the tiny umbrella she sticks in it before she slides the drink over. Chloe catches it, and stares down at it.

"It's not poisoned," Maze says sharply. 

"I know, I just--"

It's a little embarrassing to admit that even though she _watched_ Maze make the drink, she has no idea how much alcohol is in it or what, if any, mixers, so she just drinks from the straw and tells herself that Maze probably wouldn't give her a glass of just straight vodka, or at least would look a little more excited.

The straw is one of the super curly ones that Trixie loves, so it takes a second for the drink to hit her mouth. It's sweet, sweeter than she would have expected--she can't actually taste the afterburn of whatever alcohol is in it, only the sugar. It's fruity, but she can't identify what fruit--strawberry or cherry, maybe, it sort of looks red, but that could be the light. Above all, it tastes fucking fantastic, and it takes a conscious effort to put the drink down before she drains the thing. 

"Good?" Maze asks. She isn't grinning or grimacing, won't meet her gaze, has her arms crossed in front of her chest. She looks defensive, like she actually gives a shit about Chloe's opinion.

"Yeah," Chloe says. "Really fucking good, actually, what did you put in this?"

"Trade secret," Maze says, but she's smiling, so Chloe thinks she doesn't really mind.

"How drunk will this get me?" Chloe asks, taking another sip.

"Why?" Maze asks, leaning over the counter in such a way that Chloe has to concentrate to not look down her shirt. She's sure Maze is doing it on purpose. "Any reason to stay sober?"

Her tone's far-too-full of insinuation, and Chloe's still too-quick to answer when she says, "No. Nope. No plans."

Maze grins again. "Alright. It won't get you drunk unless you have a _lot_ of them. I'm gonna get back to my job now."

"You do that," Chloe says, and doesn't look at her, draining her drink. She's about to leave when another drink practically appears in front of her, and she nods her thanks, still not looking up.

After the second one, she's about to leave, when she realizes she is _not_ gonna be the type of asshole who doesn't pay or who doesn't tip, and looks up and says, "Uh--"

Maze practically appears in front of her. "What's up?"

"Damn, you are a _good_ fucking bartender," Chloe says, jumping in her seat. Maze blinks and ducks down, but Chloe thinks she's smiling. "How much do I owe you?"

"My treat," Maze says, still not looking up.

Chloe frowns. "You guys charge twenty bucks an appletini, how much do I owe you?"

Maze looks up, and her face is _transformed_ when she smiles, eyes sparkling and just a hint of teeth showing, and Chloe swears she can feel her heart skip a beat. "Nothing."

"Okay," Chloe says, but slides a twenty into the tip jar anyway. She turns on the way out, catches Maze's gaze, and the bartender smiles again, still that same bright, genuine smile, and Chloe knows she's _fucked_.

* * *

The next time Maze visits Miracle, Chloe's annoyed, sure she's there to continue this competition that Chloe thought they were done with. She's behind the bar, helping the new server carry over a ton of drinks. 

"Maze," Chloe says, voice tight, and Maze stops, expression immediately dropping into a grimace. "Help you with something?"

"Busy, Decker?" Maze says. "Just here for a drink."

"Oh," Chloe says. "Uh." Realizing that maybe she's been a bit of an ass, she says, "I've got to bring these drinks over, but Christo here--" Maze smirks at that, though Chloe's not sure why, maybe she knows him? "--can help you out. On me."

"You sure, boss?" Christo asks, and Chloe nods.

Maze orders a drink that Chloe's pretty sure is some sort of challenge. She hopes her bartender can mix it, but she doesn't have the time to worry about it, bustling around delivering drinks and maintaining order in the kitchen and dealing with customer complaints. Hours later, when Chloe's finally got enough free time to sit down and down a glass of water, she sees Maze, still sitting by the bar, surrounded by drinks.

"You're still here," Chloe says, aware she's smiling like an idiot but not caring enough to stop it.

"Yeah, well," Maze says. "Christo's not the company I'm here for."

"So you are here for me?" Chloe says.

Maze rolls her eyes. "Obviously."

Chloe sits down, and Christo gives her a glass of water, because he's great. "How many drinks have you had?"

"Not that many," Maze says with a roll of her eyes. "I'm barely even tipsy."

Chloe notes the shots all around her, skeptical, but Maze does seem okay. "You must have the constitution of a bear."

"Bears have nothing on me," Maze says with a grin.

* * *

Lux never closes, but Chloe learns that Maze's day off is Tuesday, because she starts visiting every week. She usually just sits at the bar to make snarky comments whenever Chloe passes, chatting slightly-less-sarcastically whenever Chloe has a free moment to join her. One Tuesday, though, Maze isn't there, and Chloe resolutely tells herself she's not annoyed, not worried, and almost believes herself.

When she has a free moment, she finds herself at the bar with her water, like always, staring at her phone.

Hope everything's okay

Her phone doesn't go off the rest of the night, not when she's closing, not on her drive home, not when she takes an especially long time getting ready for bed hoping for an answer. She doesn't fall asleep easily, despite the exhaustion she can feel in her bones, and she dreams of a bright smile with sharp canines. 

When she wakes up, she checks her phone before her brain has fully caught up to what she's doing. 

_i'm fine_

_did you worry?_

Yeah, of course

_oh_

It's not an encouraging text, but Chloe wouldn't have Miracle if she played things safe all the time, so she tries.

Was it a busy night at Lux or something?

_i can't tell you_

Okay.

It hurts, which is stupid--she and Maze are nothing. Competition, if anything. So she gets up, cooks Trixie breakfast, ignores her phone going off until she's dropped her daughter off at school.

_i would if i could, chloe_

_chloe?_

_ugh you're annoying_

Sorry, dropping off Trixie at school

_oh_

_my bad_

Why can't you tell me?

_because what we have is GOOD, decker_

_i don't want to fuck it up now_

Chloe stares at her phone, in the front seat of her car, and lets herself hope.

You can trust me

_you're gonna think i'm crazy_

I already think you're crazy

_ha._

_promise you won't leave?_

Chloe frowns. 

Of course I won't

_people always say that_

Maze has never been like this--honest. Or...that's not quite fair. Maze dances around the serious topics so that Chloe won't pry, pushes farther than she should when Chloe dares to ask a personal question, never says anything about how she met Lucifer or started working at Lux.

I promise I won't leave, Maze.

_well._

_you know how i said i'd follow lucifer through the gates of hell, if he asked me to?_

Yeah

_i did_


End file.
